Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-10-10
NEWSPAPER SPITEWORK.


who Refused 10 be Driven.
The tRs0H has been severely criticised
and justly too Of late for its manner Of
conducting its column of announcements
of Sunday services The Union, after
giving the various church denominations
OF the city column in which TO an
nounce their Sunday services. flaIly re-
fuses to make such announcement unless
they shall be prepared in accordance with
the Unions dication. In other words
the Union says to the city pastors: you
may publish your Sunday announcements
IN our paper, but you must tell us what
you are going to preach about, etc, be-
forehand." Some of the ministers have
no objections to publishing their texts in
advance; others have some feeling thai
TIER sermon Is Il matter between them.
selves and their congregation and that it
is only Of interest to those who attend
church and hear it. Others again prefer
not to previously announce their text, be.
cause they art likely to change it before.
preaching, the subject of discourse often
being suited to the congregation weather
or other surrounding circumstances Thi,
OF course Is matter of preference
with the minister ani be should not he
compelled to give his text to the public
IN order to have the hours of service al
his church announced, unless he is so
disposed
An incident occurred recently, which,
though OF made public at the time, is
now pretty generally known, and
while causing a great deal of
Indignation in the church CON
cerned. has occasiuned considerable com
ment by the general public Rev. G. ].
Luckey, of the First NJ E church, u pas
tor who, during his short stay in Rock
Island, has been beloved and esteemed
by all members of his congregation, OBJ
Jected to making public his text The
ARGUS made it optional with Mr. Luckey
whether his text was announced or not,
but the Union objected from the outset
Unless Mr.. Luckey would include his
text IN his church announcement, the
First NJ. Z. church should have no place
in ITO f. Il.
Luckey, nevertheless, believing that he
was right and not being inclined to be
dictated to by a newspaper in order
to have the hours of services in his church
announced, discontinued furnishing the
morning sheet with his Sunday announce
ments, it being al unpleasant task to
prepare copy for the Unions waste paper
basket.
But there were members of the con-
gregali0n. influential members, who had
Just enough interest in the Union to
think that it was right and they turned
their backs upon their pastor in order to
crafty newspapers hobbies. Mr..
LuckeY WAS given in so many words to
understand that he must either do as the
Union said or that his field of labor must
be elsewhere. Much as Mr.. Luckey loved
his church he refused to be dictated to
in an affair that so little concerned the
church's interest, and he maintained
his stand. So at the con-
ference held at Macomb
recently the spirit of opposition to him
on this single point was made so
apparent, that notwithstanding the fact
it was made optional with him whether
or not he should return TO ROCK Island.
he declined to remain. preferring to go |
where influences outside of his parish |
should not be permitted to dictate to him
on subjects pertaining to himself and his
church.
From what can be understood, the ma
jorily of Mr.. Luckey's parishioners in
Rock Island uphold him in his course, and
the public at large certainly will. The
ARGUS had determined to make no men,
ton of this unpleasantness, notwith
tine fact that it has been in DOS
session of all the facts for some time, but
the Unions article of yesterday morning
IS so pointed and so one sided that the
public is entitled to all the facts.
The Union has showna childish dispo
sltion that should have been censured
and condemned, rather than encouraged.
The time hOuored Notre nsma pa,,;l